If you’ve never had endives before, let this be your first experience. And if you have had them before, be prepared to fall head over heels.
This dish is very easy to prepare and you can serve it as a side dish or as a light entree with some crusty bread and a side salad. I honestly can’t even express how delicious these baked endives are. The flavor is beyond incredible and you’re going to score points with whomever you serve these to.
But first, let’s talk ENDIVES.
We’ve all heard of endives but many of you have probably wondered, what the heck are they?? Well for starters, they’re members of the daisy family. Endives have been referred to as the “queen of vegetables” and are rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals, especially folate and potassium, and also vitamins A, B, C and K. They’re also a good source of fiber. Their growth process is really interesting, requiring two stages. From the California Endive website: “Chicory seeds are sown in the spring producing a root the size of a large carrot by fall. Those roots are harvested from the field and then placed in dark, humid, “forcing” rooms to produce endives. Yes, endive is actually the second growth of a chicory root!”
Take a look at this photo, courtesy of California Endive. They’re really fascinating!
Endives can be eaten raw or cooked. They have a slightly bitter flavor and a delicate crunchy texture which makes them a great addition to salads or used as an elegant bed for appetizers (eg, filling the leaves and serving them as hors d’oeuvres). They’re also wonderful baked or added to a variety of soups and entrees. Leave a comment below: How have you prepared or eaten endives?
A couple of weeks ago I attended the International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle (IFBC) and California Endive was there with some product samples of their Belgian-style endives. They were in attendance at last year’s conference as well and both years I had the privilege of trying some of their endives. They’re the only major Endive grower in the USA and if you find endives in your local stores, chances are they’re from the California.
So I had some endives on hand and was really craving some good comfort food…something creamy…something cheesy. And so I threw together this dish, we invited my parents over, and everyone was oohing and aaahing. Yes, it’s that good.
Let’s get started!
Select 4 largish endives that are about the same size. White, red, a combination of the two, it doesn’t matter.
Give them a rinse and slice the very ends off.
Lay them in an oven-proof baking dish.
Prepare the bechamel sauce. Yep, I just published the recipe for it a couple of days ago and now you have the opportunity to put it to good use! This version of the bechamel is altered a little for this specific recipe though.
Use the ingredient quantities listed in the recipe box below, but for step-by-step pictures on how to prepare the sauce click here: Bechamel Sauce with Parmesan Cheese.
Add the ham to the bechamel sauce.
Pour the ham-bechamel sauce over the endives. Getting excited yet? I am!
Look at that delicious, creamy goodness!
Use your choice of Swiss cheese. I love Swiss cheese! Gruyere has the strongest flavor and Emmentaler is medium, which is what I used this time. You could use a flavorful Gouda, too, or even a white cheddar, but I really recommend Swiss/Emmentaler.
Sprinkle the Swiss cheese over the top.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 35 minutes then remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes or until the endives are soft and the top is golden brown.
Serve immediately and enjoy! (You will, I promise!)
- 4 large endives of uniform size
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 ounces Canadian bacon or good quality ham, diced
- ½ cup Emmentaler or other Swiss cheese, grated
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt butter in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and nutmeg and continue whisking until the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth. Simmer for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool for 20 minutes. Whisk in the egg yolks and stir in the Canadian bacon. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Arrange the endives single-layer in a baking dish. Pour over the bechamel-ham sauce and sprinkle the Emmentaler evenly over the top. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake for another 20 minutes until golden brown on top. Serve immediately.
- Serve as a side dish or a light entree with crusty bread and leafy green salad.
Katharina says
Yum! I remember my mother making it in Germany growing up. The endive were triple the size of the ones here. They had to be parboiled first and than they each were wrapped in big slice of ham and baked in the béchamel sauce.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Katharina! You know, I was actually going to add a note about wrapping the ham around the endive as an alternative method but forgot :) Endives are a fairly recent discovery of mine. I don’t recall even seeing them in Germany before and come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever really taken notice of them in the grocery stores here either – they’ve just never been on my radar. But they’re great vegetables. I love them in this recipe and they’re a lot of fun to prepare as appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. I’m curious where the endives in Germany are grown. They may actually be imported from Italy.
john nelson says
Greetings Katharina, I had the joy of sampling a similar dish at the Banana Cafe in Key West, Florida. The French owner/ chef told us he ate this dish as child and he loved its simplicity and great taste. It was very common on the farm he grew up on. He was kind enough to share his recipe with me. It is truly a delicious dish.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi John! I agree – the rich, creamy sauce is so good and combined with the melted Swiss cheese it’s really wonderful.
Katharina says
Kimberly, my parents owned a small grocery store and I can picture the cases of Endives but cannot remember where they came from. I want to say Belgium or France but it could have been Italy. Too bad that the ham here is nothing like the big slices of “gekochter Schinken” like you get in Germany. :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Oh, isn’t that the truth, Katharina! And the geräucherter Schinken, the marvelous Schwarzälder Schinken and Speck…and about a million and one other things! :)
Ann K says
The endive was discovered by a Belgian farmer in 1830. The vegetable was later developed in Belgium.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Ann, thanks for sharing!
Barbara vdZ says
I was also about to mention wrapping the endive with ham..ONCE boiled and make sure you drain them VERY WELL …they tend to hold a lot of the water and it will leak out ruining the whole thing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Barbara, they do hold a lot of water which is why the consistency of the bechamel is pretty thick – as the moisture from the endives penetrate the sauce it evens out to a lovely, creamy consistency.
Chantal Theberge says
Hi there. I’ll be making this recipe for the first time at Easter. My main dish is actually a ham so, I think it’s best to not add ham to the endives. Would you suggest adding something other than ham? If not, do I need to amend the proportion of the other ingredients?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Chantal, right, I would omit the ham and not substitute anything else. No need to alter anything else. The endives with the creamy sauce will be perfect next to your Easter ham, great choice!